Great
news regarding the dedication of an official Texas historical marker
that honors the memory of Gregorio Cortez. If you've never seen the
movie, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, treat yourself to a free feature-length movie on
Youtube that you can view here. Treat yourself, as well, to the book from which the movie was made titled, "With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and Its Hero, authored by the late Américo Paredes, former distinguished University of Texas scholar and renowned musician and folklorist from Brownsville, Texas. You can read about Don Américo here. Hats off to Fred Díaz and others that worked really hard to make this happen.
-Angela Valenzuela
Karnes County Historical Society and the Texas Historical
Commission
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY
24, 2016
Contact: Mike
Crow of Karnes County Historical Society 830-299-2839 of the Karnes County
Historical Society, for more information
The Texas
Historical Commission has recognized Gregorio Cortez as a significant part of
Texas history by this dedication of an Official Texas Historical Marker. This designation
honors Gregorio Cortez as an
important and educational part of history.
The
Karnes County Historical Society and the Texas Historical Commission cordially
invite the public to share in and witness this exciting historical event of the
formal dedication of an Official Texas Historical Subject Marker of Gregorio
Cortez on Saturday, August 20, 2016, at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony will take place at Lenz Hall, 3728 F. M. 626 Unit 2, and the unveiling of
the marker will follow, located across from Lenz Hall, approximately ¼ mile west/southwest of
intersection FM 626 and FM 2102 near Kenedy,
Texas, Karnes County.
The keynote address will be delivered by
Cynthia E. Orozco, Ph.D. who obtained her
BA from the University of TX at Austin, an MA and PhD from UCLA. She taught at
the University of TX at San Antonio and University of New Mexico. She is the author of No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The Rise
of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. She is the
co-editor of Mexican Americans in Texas History, an associate
editor of Latinas in the United States: An Historical Encyclopedia and
served as Research Associate at the Texas State Historical Association where
she wrote 80 articles on TX history for the New Handbook of Texas. She has also worked
as a Research Associate at the Institute of Texan Cultures. She currently teaches and is the Chair
of History, Humanities and Social Sciences at ENMU Ruidoso, New Mexico. She was
appointed to the New Mexico Humanities Council by Governor Richardson. The
Texas State Historical Association named Dr. Orozco, a fellow in 2012.
“The Official Texas Historical Marker
program helps bring attention to community treasures and the importance of
their preservation,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the THC. “Awareness and education are among the best
ways to guarantee the preservation of our state’s history. This designation is a tool that will increase
public awareness of important cultural resources,” Wolfe said.
Gregorio
Cortez Lira (June 22, 1875 - February
28, 1916) for historical information go to
Handbook of Texas Online, Cynthia E. Orozco, "Cortez Lira,
Gregorio," accessed July 23, 2016, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fco94. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the
Texas State Historical Association.
No comments:
Post a Comment